Before the introduction of Roman temples in the Low Countries, there used to be ‘open air cult places’ in the Iron Age. That is at least the assumption based on descriptions given by classical... Show moreBefore the introduction of Roman temples in the Low Countries, there used to be ‘open air cult places’ in the Iron Age. That is at least the assumption based on descriptions given by classical writers and several archetypical sanctuaries that were excavated in France. However, the rectangular structures regularly encountered in Belgium and the Netherlands that are so often interpreted by archaeologists as cult places are not comparable to the French examples. The evidence these structures deliver does not testify to long usage, modifications, disarticulated human remains, animal bones or Iron Age weaponry that is to be expected of such a place. Rather, short term utilisation, pottery depositions and a vaguely defined relation to cremation graves typify the rectangular structures. These finds and features could fit in the ancestral worship belief system, although what does that actually entail? How did Iron Age people actually conceptualise or practice interaction with ancestral spirits? In this thesis the use of rectangular structures during the Iron Age is explored and the meaning of related depositions interpreted. The structures fulfilled a special sociocultural position in Iron Age society, emphasised by the deliberately chosen liminal location in an increasingly structured landscape. Show less
Graven met dierenbotten uit de midden-ijzertijd zijn in Gelderland voornamelijk aangetroffen in het rivierengebied. In deze periode kwam het meegeven van dierenbotten veel voor en het lijkt erop... Show moreGraven met dierenbotten uit de midden-ijzertijd zijn in Gelderland voornamelijk aangetroffen in het rivierengebied. In deze periode kwam het meegeven van dierenbotten veel voor en het lijkt erop dat dit gedurende de ijzertijd nog toenam. Dierenbotten zijn gevonden in mannengraven, vrouwengraven, kindergraven en in zowel elite- als niet-elitegraven. Er lijkt gedurende de hele ijzertijd geen onderscheid te zijn gemaakt op basis van leeftijd, geslacht of status. Ook lijkt er geen relatie te zijn geweest tussen het type graf en de keuze om wel of geen dierenbotten mee te geven. Dierenbotten eindigden vermoedelijk voornamelijk in graven als onderdeel van een rituele maaltijd. Door de tijd heen zien we dat varkens daarbij steeds dominanter werden. Vanaf de midden-ijzertijd lijkt er een sterke voorkeur te hebben bestaan voor het meegegeven van varkensbotten in graven. Het dierlijk botmateriaal van het grafveld van Wijchen Woezik Sportpark voldoet op hoofdlijnen aan dit algemene patroon. Wel is de vondst van een runderstaart opmerkelijk. Een ander uitzonderlijk geval is dat van Beuningen waar rund, schaap/geit, varken, vogel, platvis, kikker en pad in één graf zijn gevonden. Mogelijk moeten we deze vreemde combinatie zien als de resten van een medicijn; een fenomeen dat we kennen uit de Romeinse tijd. In dat geval kunnen we dit bijzondere graf wellicht interpreteren als het graf van een medicijnman. Show less
Article about Middle Iron Age (500-250 BC) cemeteries in the Southern- Netherlands, the Rhineland and Flanders. It presents an overview of the current state of research in this area. It is a first... Show moreArticle about Middle Iron Age (500-250 BC) cemeteries in the Southern- Netherlands, the Rhineland and Flanders. It presents an overview of the current state of research in this area. It is a first attempt to systematically review claims about the burial ritual based on a dataset of 67 sites. It discusses aspects of the burial ritual such as monument building, burial gifts and grave types. It also briefly discusses elite graves in the area. Show less
In the summer of 2013 and 2014 the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University has carried out archaeological fieldwork in a rather exceptional environment. Where since the implementation of the... Show moreIn the summer of 2013 and 2014 the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University has carried out archaeological fieldwork in a rather exceptional environment. Where since the implementation of the Valetta Treaty most excavations are aimed at ex-situ preservation of archaeological sites threatened by building activities, the site that was under investigation in 2013 and 2014 found itself in a nature reserve. As nature reserves are aimed at the very purpose of preservation, why then investigate an archaeological site that could easily profit from such a protected status? The recent access to high resolution LIDAR data for the entire surface of the present day Netherlands is only just beginning to reveal the richness of archaeological sites hidden beneath the foliage and undergrowth of the forests and heaths crammed in between the vast field systems of the Dutch countryside. From late prehistoric barrow landscapes and celtic fields to Medieval cart tracks, all these features still find themselves at the very surface in these nature reserves. These sites of various age can provide a unique glimpse into the past but their location at the very surface also makes these sites vulnerable and, as is becoming more clear in recent years, are threatened by nature itself. Tree roots, burrowing animals and ongoing podzolization are all examples of natural processes that gradually obscure these sites from sight. To map both the state as well as the research potential of such an archaeological ‘palimpsest’ an archaeological field experiment was carried out in one of the largest nature reserves of the Netherlands at a site called ‘Apeldoorn – Uddeler Heegde’. This article reports on the most important new insights of the fieldwork in the form of a landscape biography. Show less
This chapter deals with plant remains retrieved during the excavation of traces left by the Bronze, Iron and Roman Age farming societies in Oss-North. Its two parts are not really related except... Show moreThis chapter deals with plant remains retrieved during the excavation of traces left by the Bronze, Iron and Roman Age farming societies in Oss-North. Its two parts are not really related except for the fact that the questions posed are tackled by using archaeobotanical methods. Subchapter 8.1 discusses the vegetation on the farmyards, subchapter 8.2 concerns the crops grown by the farmers. Show less
This monograph investigates the development of urbanism in the North-Western Roman provinces (i.e. nowadays France, Britain, Belgium, and Netherlands), the main foci being on the nature,... Show moreThis monograph investigates the development of urbanism in the North-Western Roman provinces (i.e. nowadays France, Britain, Belgium, and Netherlands), the main foci being on the nature, characteristics, and shapes that settlement systems took during the first 250 years of the imperial period. The scope of the research undertaken in this book extends beyond the study of the “official” Roman cities (i.e. centres which enjoyed some level of self-governance and which are known from ancient literary and epigraphic sources), comprising all settlements which have yielded evidence of monumental architecture and/or of extensive non-agricultural activities. Show less
Although hillforts, ritual sites and burial mounds have been in existence in various regions, the German Central Uplands have largely been considered void of rural occupation during the Bronze and... Show moreAlthough hillforts, ritual sites and burial mounds have been in existence in various regions, the German Central Uplands have largely been considered void of rural occupation during the Bronze and Iron Ages (approx. 2100-30 BC). The presence of these sites, combined with mounting evidence from geoarchives of human impact on the landscape since the Neolithic, has led us to investigate the settlement and landscape history of the Northern Franconian Jura in Bavaria as a model region for studying human activity in and impact on the German Central Uplands during the Metal Ages.In this article, we present the first results of an interdisciplinary study of the Weismain river catchment undertaken since 2013. A combination of geoarchaeological and archaeological, on-site and off-site, field and lab investigations at both valley and plateau sites revealed evidence of human land use and settlement from the 16th century BC (Middle Bronze Age) onwards, with further emerging evidence of changing vegetation, land-use strategies and settlement preferences until the end of the Iron Age. While research is still ongoing, it may be concluded that in the study region, and possibly other parts of the German Central Uplands, land use had begun earlier and was more intense and varied than previously thought. Show less
Kothieringer, K.; Lambers, K.; Seregély, T.; Schäfer, A. 2014
This paper describes the results of initial archaeological and geoarchaeological fieldwork in the Northern Franconian Jura between the cities of Bayreuth and Bamberg. Our research aims at the... Show moreThis paper describes the results of initial archaeological and geoarchaeological fieldwork in the Northern Franconian Jura between the cities of Bayreuth and Bamberg. Our research aims at the reconstruction of settlement patterns and strategies of land use during the Metal Ages (Bronze Age and Iron Age) in the catchment area of the river Weismain. The project is designed as a case study for research into the settlement and landscape history of a rural region of the Central German Uplands during the last two millennia before our era. Show less
The primary objective of the investigation of the handmade pottery from Oss-Ussen was the composition of a detailed type-chronology of the locally produced pottery, preferably applicable to a... Show moreThe primary objective of the investigation of the handmade pottery from Oss-Ussen was the composition of a detailed type-chronology of the locally produced pottery, preferably applicable to a wider area than the Maaskant region. On basis of pottery assemblages from pits, wells etc. fourteen pottery phases have been defined (A2-N). They cover almost a millennium, starting around the beginning of the Early Iron Age (800 BC). For sixteen variables, mainly concerning morphology and decoration, developments in type-frequencies are presented in diagrams. The secondary analysis of the technological characteristics of this local ware did not reveal any significant differences between fine and coarse ware, considering both clay texture and temper. Another secondary study has been devoted to a rather large group of non-local handmade pottery, coming from the western coastal zone, in most cases probably containing seasalt (briquetage vessels). Its provenance has been established by combining diatom analyses and morphological characteristics. Moreover, shifts in supply routes are indicated on basis of chemical analyses (XRF). These may partly explain the changes in morphological types found in settlement sites in the hinterland. Show less
Prehistoric human diet can be reconstructed by the analysis of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) stable isotopes in bone, whereas ancient mobility and provenance can be studied using the... Show morePrehistoric human diet can be reconstructed by the analysis of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) stable isotopes in bone, whereas ancient mobility and provenance can be studied using the isotopes of strontium (Sr) and oxygen (O) in tooth enamel, and of sulphur in bone. Although thirty years have passed since the first application of the stable isotope method to European skeletal material, gaps in biochemical research have remained within German archaeology. This dissertation seeks to fill these gaps by providing novel evidence from multiple isotope analyses in different transitional periods of German prehistory, including the earliest Neolithic farmers of the Linearbandkaramik culture, the Early Bronze Age necropolis site of Singen, and the elite burial population from the Early Iron Age site of Magdalenenberg. To assess the local characteristics of Sr isotopes in south-western Germany, environmental samples (n=93) were collected and analysed from the different geological formations between the Black Forest and Lake Constance. As a result of this work, these reference data are now available for future research. A substantial dataset of C and N isotopes was obtained from the human populations from the Linearbandkeramik sites of Derenburg, Halberstadt and Karsdorf (n=97) in Central Germany. The data provides information on early Neolithic subsistence and individual diet, and can be connected to evidence from a previous palaeogenetic study on lactose intolerance. Furthermore, the analysis of contemporary fauna (n=45) provides novel evidence on Neolithic livestock management strategies. The reconstruction of ancient mobility using the isotopes of Sr, O and S provided information on human provenance at the Early Bronze Age cemetery site of Singen. While the population had been considered mobile because of exotic grave goods found at the site, biochemical evidence suggests all sampled individuals (n=29) originated and lived locally in the region of Lake Constance. A very distinct pattern was found at the Early Iron Age monumental tumulus site of Magdalenenberg in the Black Forest. The results of Sr, O and S analyses in the skeletal remains (n=90) of this elite Hallstatt Culture burial population suggest various regions of human origin. Only a small proportion of the people originated locally. The majority of the burial population is derived from the Black Forest highlands or from the plains towards Lake Constance. In some cases, individual origin could be assigned to specific areas in the Alps and Italy through the application of various isotope systems. Show less
Scarcity of water is a major problem in many parts of the Near East today and in the past. In order to survive in such a region people have to be able to structurally procure more water than... Show moreScarcity of water is a major problem in many parts of the Near East today and in the past. In order to survive in such a region people have to be able to structurally procure more water than rainfall alone can supply. The archaeology of this area should not only identify when people inhabited such a region and what the character of this habitation was, but also how people were able to survive in such a region and why they chose it in the first place. In this book these questions have been posed of the Zerqa Triangle: a region in the middle Jordan Valley around Tell Deir ‘All? (Jordan). The intensity of habitation of the region from the Neolithic to early modern periods was investigated by means of a detailed pedestrian archaeological survey. Efforts have been undertaken to reconstruct the agricultural practices in the various periods and simultaneously the means by which the different communities were able to practise agriculture; in other words, how did they irrigate the land? By focussing on the varying social responses of communities, conclusions have been drawn on how and why people created a living in this arid, but potentially very fertile region. Show less
